This is a wonderful Greek dish we discovered. Garides Saganaki means shrimp with cheese in Greek. It is a traditional dish typically made with shrimp, tomato sauce and feta cheese. Our recipe adds mint. Continue reading Garides Saganaki (Shrimp with Tomatoes, Feta & Mint)
Several years ago I bought Baby Lady a Pomegranate Tree. When she asked, I remembered when I was a young boy and would walk to my grandmother’s house. On the way to her house there was a family that had a large Pomegranate tree in the front yard. This family was friends of my grandmother. I knew better than to go into their yard and pick the fruit off of their tree as I was taught it was impolite without asking. Anyway, Grandmother always had fresh pomegranates from her friends so there really was no need. The tree was prolific. I always loved to see the tree in the fall full of lush red fruit and I couldn’t wait for Grandmother to have some fresh fruit from her friends. So, when Baby Lady asked me for a Pomegranate tree I didn’t bat an eyelash. She wanted it, we got it. Plain and simple. My love of pomegranates had nothing to do with it. I planted it in the back by the driveway out of view of unscrupulous fruit pickers. Then we anxiously awaited each year to see if it would bear fruit. We watched it blossom with the beautiful reddish orange blossoms and the fruit would start but it never made it to ripeness. Part of the problem was the yardmen who always seemed to knock off the fruit. The other problem was the tree was still young. Last year we thought we were going to get some to ripeness but they mysteriously disappeared. GRRR. This year we finally got fruit. Joy oh joy!!! In celebration of being able to harvest we fixed this dish. Continue reading Whole Fillet of Salmon with Pomegranate Glaze
This recipe is a Texas-style chili, commonly referred to as a “bowl of red.” True Texas-style chili includes only meat, chile peppers, and spices. Like cajuns and their gumbo, Texans take their chili seriously and there are numerous disagreements over what is and what is not chili. The debate continues to rage over beans vs. no beans; tomatoes vs. no tomatoes, etc. and, over time, a whole chili lore has developed. Texans take their chili so seriously that chili was officially designated the state food of Texas by the State Legislature in 1977. Also, to most Texans, the fact that a genuine “bowl of red” can only be found in Texas has never been in doubt. In fact, it is generally accepted that, despite its Spanish name, chili con carne originated in San Antonio Texas. Indeed, in the 1800s when San Antonio was host to the Mexican Army, the Chili Queens of San Antonio (as they became known) made large pots of chili at home by day, and clad in brightly colored dresses, trundled their carts to San Antonio’s Military Plaza, ladling out their vendibles from cast iron pots heated over wood or charcoal fires in the evening.
Chili became so popular in Texas (and later elsewhere) that chili parlors and chili cook-offs sprang up everywhere. Legend has it that outlaw and desperado Jesse James refused to rob a bank in McKinney, Texas because that is where his favorite chili parlor was located. Beginning in 1967, as a joke with a chili-cooking duel between humorist H. Allen Smith and journalist Wick Fowler, chili cook-offs are now popular all over the country, with state-wide and International contests. The Chili Appreciation Society International (CASI) cook-off is held in Terlingua, TX and the ICS (International Chili Society) Cook-off was normally held in CA. Even US Presidents have gotten into the fray over chili
“Chili concocted outside of Texas is usually a weak, apologetic imitation of the real thing. One of the first things I do when I get home to Texas is to have a bowl of red. There is simply nothing better.”
Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President of the United States
Try this recipe and you, too, can enter a chili cook-off with possibly the winning bowl of red. 😉
Super Bowl Nachos! It’s that time of year and the diet goes out the window. It’s been doing that of late. Tasty little treats with crispy tortilla chips, sharp cheddar cheese and Jalapeños en Escabeche. This recipe for pickled jalapeños is the best I have ever eaten and is what makes these Super Bowl Nachos, among other remarkably tasty treats. 🙂
Mushrooms are such a wonderful food and there are so many different varieties. You can eat them raw in salads or sandwiches.
You can marinate them. You can mince them along with shallots, parsley, garlic and seasoning, then sauté them with a little white wine to make duxelle. You can sauté them and put them on top of steak. You can fry them. The list is almost endless. This is what we had for dinner last night. Continue reading Portobello Parmesan
Have I mentioned I love Mexican food? Pozole (Pork and Hominy Stew) on a cold winter day is fabulous. Pozole is a traditional soup that originated in the pacific region of pre-Columbian Mexico. It is a well known cure for hangovers and is often eaten in the wee hours of the morning as a preventive. There is Pozole Blanco (white), Pozole Verde (Green) and Pozole Rojo (Red). Opinions on Pozole run the gamut among Mexicans like Chili with Texans and Gumbo with Cajuns. Pozole Blanco is colored mainly by the corn. Pozole Rojo adds blended rehydrated red chiles darkening the color adding an earthiness, richer character and depth of flavor. Pozole Verde adds tomatillos, pumpkin seeds, and cilantro. This recipe is a very authentic, traditional Mexican Pozole Rojo (No canned hominy here). I hope you enjoy it.
Spaghetti Squash is such a versatile, wonderful side dish. There is so much you can do with it. You can roast it, boil it, microwave it or put it in a crock pot and slow cook it. You can even roast the seeds similar to pumpkin seeds. It has a sweet, mild flavor that goes with just about anything.
This recipe is a roasted spaghetti squash seasoned with salt and pepper and finished like a lemon pasta with lemon, onions, peppers, capers, tomatoes and cilantro. I assure you this is one side dish you want to make. We like to use it as a bed for different fish dishes we make. Continue reading Spaghetti Squash with Lemon, Onions, Peppers, Capers, Tomatoes & Cilantro
REMCooks 